Prime Minister

Ministers: Pay

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, which Ministers in the Government are unpaid.

Mrs Theresa May: The full list of Ministerial appointments has been published on the gov.uk website.

10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she plans to refurbish, extend or renovate 10 Downing Street.

Mrs Theresa May: 10 Downing Street is a Grade 1 and Grade 2 listed building and is maintained to the appropriate standard.

Ministers: Resignations

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she held exit interviews with Ministers leaving the Government.

Mrs Theresa May: Ministerial reshuffles are handled in the same way as previous administrations.

Government Departments: Recruitment

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, how many new civil servants will be recruited to staff the Departments for (a) International Trade, (b) Exiting the European Union and (c) Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, what estimate she has made of the cost of the changes to the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Energy and Climate Change as a result of recent machinery of government changes.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, when she expects the new Departments for (a) International Trade, (b) Exiting the European Union and (c) Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to be fully staffed and functioning.

Mrs Theresa May: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement I made about Machinery of Government Changes on 18 July 2016, HCWS94.

Legislation

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she plans to fulfil all the legislative commitments made in the Queen's Speech on 18 May 2016.

Mrs Theresa May: I set out my priorities for government in my first statement as Prime Minister in Downing Street on 13 July 2016.

Prime Minister: Staff

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she has plans to change the number of staff employed by 10 Downing Street.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, what changes have been made to the staff structure at 10 Downing Street since 13 July 2016.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, how many people have (a) resigned and (b) been dismissed from the Number 10 Policy Unit since 13 July 2016.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, who she has appointed to the Number 10 Policy Unit.

Mrs Theresa May: Information relating to the number of staff employed at Downing Street and their salaries is published as part of the Cabinet Office Staff and Salary Data, and is available on the gov.uk website.

Prime Minister: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, what appointments she has made as her new special advisers since taking up her post.

Mrs Theresa May: A list will be published in due course.

Prime Ministers Policy Unit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, who the director of the Number 10 Policy Unit is.

Mrs Theresa May: I refer the hon. Member to the press release issued by my office on 14 July 2016. This is available on the gov.uk website.

Department for Work and Pensions

Work Capability Assessment

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the evidence base for the choice of descriptors used in work capability assessments.

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which agents external to his Department (a) supplied and (b) analysed the evidence that his Department used to decide on the descriptors used for the work capability assessment.

Penny Mordaunt: Details of the evidence base and consultative group members involved in the development of the Work Capability Assessment can be found in the Transformation of the Personal Capability assessment reports of September 2006, February 2007 and November 2007. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090605153301/http:/www.workandpensions.gov.uk/welfarereform/pca.asp

Personal Independence Payment: Mental Illness

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the internal guidance that his Department issues to staff on the safeguards that those staff must observe when consideration is being given to (a) suspend or withhold payment, (b) make a substantial change to the level of entitlement or (c) terminate a claim in the case of a claimant of personal independence payment who has a mental health condition.

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the internal guidance that his Department issues to staff on the safeguards that those staff must observe when consideration is being given to (a) suspend or withhold payment, (b) impose a sanction or (c) terminate a claim in the case of a claimant of jobseeker's allowance who has a mental health condition.

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the internal guidance that his Department issues to staff on the safeguards that those staff must observe when consideration is being given to (a) suspend or withhold payment, (b) impose a sanction or (c) terminate a claim in the case of a claimant of employment and support allowance who has a mental health condition.

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the internal guidance that his Department issues to staff on the safeguards that those staff must observe when consideration is being given to (a) suspend or withhold payment, (b) impose a sanction or (c) terminate a claim in the case of a claimant of universal credit who has a mental health condition.

Damian Hinds: There is no intention to publish the internal guidance as it is for Department use only.

Refugees: Disability

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to make financial support available to refugees and people in Britain with humanitarian protection status who are disabled.

Penny Mordaunt: Refugees and people in Great Britain with humanitarian protection status who are disabled and in need of financial support are entitled to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit, and Personal Independence Payment, providing they meet all the necessary conditions of entitlement set out in regulations.

Employment: Young People

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support young people with (a) disabilities and (b) long-term health conditions to find permanent employment.

Penny Mordaunt: We are committed to halving the disability employment gap between disabled and non disabled people and have introduced a number of measures to further the support available to young people with disabilities, and long-term health conditions. A Taskforce, led by Paul Maynard MP, has been looking at issues around apprenticeships for people with learning difficulties or disabilities. On 11 July the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and the Department for Education published their response to the task force accepting all their recommendations including adjustments in English and maths requirements for those with learning disabilities. The publication can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeships-improving-access-for-people-with-learning-disabilities. This Department has also developed a portal for young people with disabilities and health conditions to signpost them to available support. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-and-support-for-young-disabled-people-to-find-and-stay-in-work/help-and-support-for-young-disabled-people-to-find-and-stay-in-work. Young disabled people and those with health conditions may also be supported by DWP’s specialist disability employment programmes such as Work Programme, Work Choice, Specialist Employment Support and Access to Work, subject to meeting eligibility criteria. Access to Work can provide support for young people participating on Traineeships or Supported Internships as well as those in work including apprenticeships. In 2015/16 Access to Work supported 2,830 young people aged 16-24, An increase of 12.7% over the previous year and the highest number since 2007/08 (beginning of our current records). In addition, we have expanded Access to Work’s Mental Health Support Service to conduct a two-year trial of targeted support for apprentices with mental health conditions.

Social Security Benefits: Refugees

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether people resident in Britain with (a) refugee or (b) humanitarian protection status can claim (i) personal independence payments and (ii) employment and support allowance.

Penny Mordaunt: Refugees and people in Great Britain with humanitarian protection status who are disabled and in need of financial support are entitled to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit, and Personal Independence Payment, providing they meet all the necessary conditions of entitlement set out in regulations.

Universal Credit: Bury St Edmunds

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants there were in Bury St Edmunds constituency in (a) June 2015, (b) December 2015 and (c) the latest month for which figures are available.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is available in the official Universal Credit statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics.

Social Security Benefits: Electronic Government

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on introducing a secure online portal through which new claimants of working-age benefits can submit supporting evidence and documents.

Damian Hinds: Allowing claimants to upload evidence and supporting documentation safely and securely is a crucial element as we build and develop the full online Universal Credit Service; for example, claimants can already upload CVs and covering letters for their work coach to review, and this facility will be expanded to include other documents as the service rolls out.

Children: Maintenance

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a public consultation will form part of the 30-month review of the introduction of child maintenance service changes.

Caroline Nokes: There are no plans to conduct a public consultation as part of the 30 month review. The Review will draw on information from externally commissioned qualitative and quantitative surveys conducted with those who use the Child Maintenance Service, as well as analysis of national data on separated families, including those who have chosen not to make maintenance arrangements through the statutory systems. We have also engaged with a number of relevant external stakeholder organisations who have been invited to provide a written response to a series of questions on charging.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on backdating payments for personal independence payment applicants who receive an uprating as a result of a tribunal ruling; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: The general rule is that a tribunal’s decision will take effect from the same date as that of the decision under appeal – as determined by the Secretary of State. However, as a tribunal considers all appealed decisions afresh, it may decide that a different date is more appropriate.

Jobcentre Plus: Training

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the minimum requirements set by his Department are for Jobcentre Plus to ensure that it is not neglectful in its duty of care towards a claimant who has (a) been attending a psychiatric unit, (b) has a known history of mental illness or (c) has a social worker designated to them; and what guidance his Department provides to Jobcentre Plus on providing such duty of care.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) demonstrates a duty of care throughout all its customer services and which it expects its staff to follow through instructions and learning.The Department has an established approach to identifying and providing an appropriate level of support to all its customers who are vulnerable, including those with mental health conditions. DWP identifies any “individual who is identified as having complex needs and/or requires additional support to enable them to access DWP benefits and use our services” as being vulnerable. This definition ensures that we have consistency and continuity in the type and level of service which is being offered and that it supports the customer appropriately whatever their needs.DWP’s approach for dealing specifically with customers experiencing mental health conditions has been developed in consultation with its Work Psychologists to ensure that staff are able to develop a thorough understanding of the various different mental health conditions which exist, including hidden impairments and how they impact on an individual. This knowledge is reflected in both DWP instructions and in its learning and development.Where DWP staff are satisfied that a customer faces clear and significant risks to their welfare or safety, then those staff are explicitly empowered by DWP to take any reasonable steps which are felt necessary, including liaising with relevant organisations, in order to address these risks without undue delay.

Children: Maintenance

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families accessed support from the Child Support Agency in (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency, (b) the East of England and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: We do not have information on the number of families who accessed support. Information has been provided in the table on the caseload at the end of the year, which will differ from the number of families supported as multiple cases may be linked to the same family.  Dec-11Dec-12Dec-13Dec-14Dec-15Bury St Edmunds1,5801,6902,0901,9801,850East of England94,80094,600115,700111,400104,900England and Wales1,035,5001,010,6001,231,9001,185,2001,111,500 Notes:Figures rounded to the nearest 10 for Bury St Edmunds constituency and nearest 100 for the East of England, England and Wales.Figures are the number of live and assessed cases.Figures are as at December 2011 and 2012.The methodology for estimating the overall caseload changed in December 2013 and information after this date will not be comparable.

Home Office

Asylum: Religious Freedom

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received on reforming the questions asked on asylum applications related to persecution related to religious beliefs.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In June 2016 The Home Office received the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom of Religion’s report, ‘Fleeing persecution: Asylum claims in the UK on religious freedom grounds’. We are carefully considering the report and its recommendations and will provide a response in due course, including whether we will consider whether any changes to the way we handle religious-based claims are appropriate.The report acknowledges the progress made by the Home Office with regards to guidance and training provided to its staff but highlighted the Group’s view that there were some discrepancies between the Home Office policy and practice.The Home Office carefully considers all asylum claims on their individual merits and grants protection for those who genuinely need it, in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). In every asylum case the particular circumstances of the individual are considered in light of published country information, which includes issues relating specifically to religious freedoms.Published guidance on the interviewing and consideration of religious claims is regularly reviewed and takes into consideration the views of religious groups and other stakeholders.

Members: Correspondence

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the correspondence her Department has received from hon. Members has related to matters about visas in the last 12 months.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Published data between April 2015 and March 2016 shows UKVI received a total of 32095 enquiries from hon. Members. Of these, management information shows that approximately 18% related to visas.

Immigration Controls: Channel Ferries

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons the UK Border Agency did not carry out any checks on vehicles crossing from Poole to Cherbourg on the ferry Barfleur on 23 June 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 19 July 2016



On June 23rd all necessary checks were completed on the departure of the Barfleur from Poole.

Asylum: Eritrea

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish updated country guidance for asylum applications made by Eritrean nationals.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigrants: Detainees

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce a maximum limit on the length of time an individual can be detained under immigration powers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government does not believe that it is appropriate for there to be a formal time limit on immigration detention.

Asylum: Families

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests have been made by (a) France, (b) Greece and (c) Italy for the UK to take charge of an asylum application under the family reunification articles of the Dublin III Regulation in the last six months.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 21 July 2016



Whilst all asylum claims including those accepted under Dublin III are registered on the Home Office Case Information Database (CID), this data is not currently held in a way that allows it to be reported on automatically and is therefore not currently available.

Asylum: Families

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to publish the number of applications for refugee family reunion which were granted outside the rules in its quarterly migration statistics.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Families

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to process applications related to refugee family reunion.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Customer service is a key priority for UK Visas and Immigration, and the efficiency and effectiveness of the visa application process is kept under regular review, including by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. The published service standard for resolving refugee family reunion applications is within 12 weeks, or 60 working days.Where an application is complex and likely to take longer than the advertised processing times, UKVI will contact the applicant to inform them of this.

Social Networking

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle online abuse on social media.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

EU Nationals

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government has taken since the EU referendum to ensure that nationals of other EU countries living in the UK are made welcome and supported.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Northern Ireland Office

EU Grants and Loans: Northern Ireland

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans his Department has to mitigate any loss of funding resulting from the decision to leave the EU.

James Brokenshire: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

EU Grants and Loans: Northern Ireland

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what funding his Department received from EU sources in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health

Food: Advertising

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of television advertising of junk food before the 9pm watershed on the health of children and young people.

Nicola Blackwood: Our forthcoming Childhood Obesity Strategy will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet will be working over the coming days and weeks to establish their priorities and how we deliver on these commitments.

Cancer: Males

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has had made of the effect of the introduction of the HPV vaccination on reducing the incidence of head and neck cancer among men who have sex with men.

Nicola Blackwood: In November 2015 the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation advised that a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme should be introduced for men who have sex with men (MSM) attending genito-urinary medicine clinics. In preparing this advice, the Committee took into account mathematical models that considered the likely effect of the vaccination programme on anal, penile and oropharyngeal (including tonsillar) cancers. The models suggested that introduction of HPV vaccination for MSM is likely to decrease the incidence of oropharyngeal cancers in the long term.

Breast Cancer: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on co-operation on developing and making available new drugs to treat breast cancer.

Nicola Blackwood: Many new medicines in Europe, including medicines to treat breast cancer, are licensed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The EMA brings together scientific experts from across Europe by working closely with the national regulatory authorities, in a partnership known as the European medicines regulatory network. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is an active participant in this network and its discussions.

Chronic Illnesses: Children

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 2 March 2016 to Question 28759, whether the mental health needs of children with epilepsy and other long-term conditions will be considered by the expert group convened by his Department and the Department for Education.

Nicola Blackwood: The Expert Working Group announced in the Department for Education and the Department of Health’s oral evidence to the Education Committee on 3 February 2016 as part of their Inquiry into the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Looked After Children will not be considering the mental health needs of children with epilepsy and other long-term conditions. The Working Group will look specifically at the mental health needs of looked after children and young people, adopted children and care leavers. The aim of the Group is to develop care pathways for children in these particular circumstances, including any who might also have long term conditions or disabilities. Further work will be carried out during the implementation of the Five Year Forward View and of the transformation programme for children and young people’s mental health which is set out in Future In Mind which will lead to improvements for all children and young people experiencing mental health problems.

Tobacco

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure different regulatory regimes for heated tobacco devices and other new tobacco-based products, electronic vaping products and other proven reduced risk alternatives that do not contain tobacco.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that regulatory obligations and excise rates will be applied to tobacco rolls sold in the UK.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure tobacco-based products such as factory-made cigarettes and heated tobacco are subject to identical regulatory obligations.

Nicola Blackwood: The Government introduced the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 in April this year. These Regulations strengthen the regulation of tobacco products in relation to their manufacture, production and presentation and include a new regulatory framework for electronic cigarettes and herbal products for smoking. The Government will consult on the duty treatment of heated tobacco products later in 2016.

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the failures identified by the Care Quality Commission in the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust were first drawn to his Department's attention.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will instigate an inquiry into the past management of the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department’s attention was first drawn to issues in relation to South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAMB) NHS Foundation Trust’s NHS 111 service in autumn 2015. In March 2015, NHS England convened a risk summit meeting involving all partners following the suspension by SECAMB of their unofficial call-handling project. NHS England commissioned an external investigation which was published on 5 November 2015, while an initial report was shared with families involved with the SECAMB’s project in September 2015. Monitor, the then independent regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts (now part of NHS Improvement), announced on 28 October 2015 that it was taking action against SECAMB. Monitor’s requirements included the development of three reviews. The first; a forensic review of the project itself undertaken by Deloitte was published on 15 March 2016. Second, the Trust has commissioned an independent expert to lead a patient impact review following the call-handling project, which will be finalised shortly. Third, the Trust is required to undertake a full governance review and this will take place once the substantive board is in place. In the meantime NHS Improvement are working closely with the Trust to support it in addressing known governance, operational and quality issues. The Government has no plans to set up an inquiry.

NHS: Finance

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, House of Lords, 9 July 2015, Official Report, column 286, what his policy is on part funding of the NHS through insurance and co-payments.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has any plans to move away from a tax-funded NHS towards one funded by insurance and co-payments.

Mr Philip Dunne: There is no plan to change the way that the National Health Service is funded nor any consideration of changes. The Government remains committed to the principles of the NHS, enshrined in the NHS Constitution, that access to NHS services is based on clinical need, not the ability to pay. The Government is also committed to working with the NHS in implementing its own plan for the future of the NHS – the Five Year Forward View – backed up by the commitment made in the Spending Review to provide an additional £10 billion in real terms by 2020-21 compared to 2014-15. This fully funds the plan.

Autism

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department's evaluation of the autism awareness project, what measures his Department plans to use to demonstrate (a) how many more people understand autism as a result of that project and (b) its overall value for money.

David Mowat: After a public tendering process, the Autism Alliance UK were successful in receiving funding from the Department for their Connect to Autism project. This project has focused on improving awareness and understanding of autism in the general population by working with local and national providers of services in the private, public and voluntary sectors. A tendering process to evaluate the project will be undertaken shortly, with the evaluation aiming to identify, amongst other outcomes, how many people the awareness project has reached and its overall value for money.

NHS: Procurement

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the NHS requires organisations bidding for out of area contracts to have been inspected and rated by the Care Quality Commission before bidding.

David Mowat: Non-primary care services must be commissioned by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) or NHS England using the NHS Standard Contract. The NHS Standard Contract requires any provider to comply with the registration requirements of Care Quality Commission (CQC) where applicable. When this is the case the production of evidence of registration with the CQC will be a precondition of the commencement of service delivery. We would expect commissioners to require evidence of registration (if legally required) with the CQC as part of the tendering process for a new contract. In the case of delivery of services from a new premises or a newly-established provider, registration may not be in place at time the provider submits its bid, but should be before services commence.

NHS: Standards

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how (a) residents, (b) patients, (c) clinical commissioning groups and (d) NHS England can assess the standard and quality of care offered by an NHS body that has not yet received a Care Quality Commission inspection rating.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. All providers of regulated activities, including National Health Service and independent providers, have to register with the CQC and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality below which care should never fall. The CQC monitor, inspect and regulate services to make sure they meet fundamental standards. This gives patients and the public a fair, balanced and easy to understand assessment of the performance of a provider.During 2014, the CQC progressively introduced a new inspection regime for all providers. Since the CQC introduced its new inspection regime in 2014 it has issued ratings for the majority of providers. All remaining NHS hospitals and general practitioner providers will be inspected by March 2017.Some of the providers that do not have ratings have already been inspected within the new inspection regime but at a time when ratings were not completed. For all providers that were inspected in this way, the CQC has published an assessment of care quality that has been designed to be helpful to patients and the public.Other sources of information on care quality include the MyNHS website, NHS Choices, quality accounts, specialised services dashboards published by NHS England, and the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme.

NHS: Contracts

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how NHS England assesses bids for contracts where some of the bidding organisations have not provided a similar service previously or have not provided a similar service which has been subject to NHS quality measures or inspection.

David Mowat: As commissioners, clinical commissioning groups and NHS England use predetermined questions to establish the credentials and capabilities of potential providers. This includes the assessment of evidence of delivery that providers are required to submit as part of the tender exercise. If evidence of ability to provide such a service is not assessed as sufficient, then the potential provider may be disqualified from the process following further clarifications and lack of additional reassurance to meet the service specification requirements. NHS England only assesses bids for contracts for services which NHS England itself commissions in accordance with its statutory functions and which are put out to tender.

Care Homes: Nurses

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the timing of the announcement on the rate for NHS-funded nursing care for residents of care homes in 2016-17 on the management of those care homes.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to announce the rate for NHS-funded nursing care for residents of care homes for 2017-18.

David Mowat: The Department appreciates the importance of timely communication of the rate of National Health Service-funded Nursing Care for care homes. The new rate will be paid on an interim basis whilst further work is done to review the element of the rate for agency nursing staff (which could lead to a reduction to the rate from 1 January 2017) and to consult on introducing regional variation from April 2017. The rate for 2017/18 will be published following completion of work which is being done by the Department.

West Cumberland Hospital

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2016 to Question 41907, for what reasons the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State did not visit West Cumberland Hospital on 14 July 2016; and if he will visit that hospital as a matter of urgency.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State’s visit to Cumbria on 14 July 2016 was cancelled due to changes in Government. The Department continues to champion the Success Regime and my private office will be in touch in due course, as I look forward to visiting West Cumberland Hospital.

Pharmacy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2016 to Question 42405, on what date his Department commenced work on the impact assessment on changes to the budget for community pharmacy in 2016-17.

David Mowat: Officials have been undertaking impact analyses to inform the final impact assessment both prior to, and during, the consultation period which ran from 17 December 2015 to 24 May 2016. The Department remains committed to publishing the full and final impact assessment alongside any Drug Tariff determination.

Travellers: Health

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the implications are for his Department's guidance to local authorities on Gypsy and Traveller Assessments of the recommendations of the report by the Traveller Movement, Impact of insecure accommodation and the living environment on Gypsies' and Travellers' health, published in January 2016.

Nicola Blackwood: This report was commissioned by the Department to inform the work of the inclusion health programme and the local and national bodies which address the health needs of Gypsies and Travellers, and it provides support to the Department for Communities and Local Government guidance on local Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs assessment.

Medical Records: Databases

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the cancellation of the care.data scheme; and what plans he has for the deletion of all constituent information under that scheme.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS England and the Health and Social Care Information Centre are not in a position to provide a final statement of expenditure at the present time. No data has been extracted from general practitioner practices under the care.data programme. However, NHS England has been clear that the evidence and groundwork from the care.data programme will be incorporated into the health and care system’s Paperless 2020 programme on technology and improving patient care, as overseen by the National Information Board, in close collaboration with the primary care community, in order to retain public confidence and drive better care for patients.

Patients: Transport

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications of VM Langfords entering administration for the provision of patient transport services in Sussex.

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions Ministers in his Department have had with Sussex clinical commissioning groups about patient transport service provider Langfords going into administration.

Mr Philip Dunne: This is a matter for local commissioners. NHS England has confirmed that Coperforma, holder of the non-emergency Patient Transport Service (PTS) contract for Sussex, informed High Weald Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Group (HWLH CCG) on 16 June 2016 that a receiver had been appointed for VM Langfords - transport provider sub-contracted to deliver PTS in East and West Sussex. A number of South East Coast Ambulance Services (SECAmb) staff had been transferred to VM Langfords employment. HWLH CCG met with Coperforma on 17 June 2016 and was assured that a plan was already in place for additional transport capacity to mitigate any loss of capacity that this situation may cause. HWLH CCG is working closely with Coperforma and the unions (Unison and GMB) to work through the implications for ex SECAmb staff, to ensure the processes followed are in keeping with employment legislation and good practice and that the impacts on service delivery are kept to a minimum. There have been no discussions between Ministers in the Department and Sussex CCGs about PTS provider VM Langfords going into administration.

Patients: Transport

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which (a) patient transport service and (b) other contracts Coproforma holds with the NHS; and what the value is of each such contract.

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) direct NHS contracts, (b) contracts sub-contracted from direct NHS contractors and (c) patient transport service contracts VM Langfords held before entering into administration.

David Mowat: Patient Transport Services are normally commissioned at clinical commissioning group (CCG) level. CCGs control their own budgets and hold their own contracts. Information on individual CCG contracts is not collected centrally. The contracts with Coperforma are held by the relevant CCG as is the value of the contract. There are no central records.

Mental Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the average annual financial cost incurred by mental health trusts as a result of unavailability of beds on mental health wards requiring patients to be placed into care homes; and which body bears the costs of such cases.

Nicola Blackwood: The information is not collected centrally.

Cancer: Mortality Rates

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted on variations in cancer survival rates between different (a) parts of the UK and (b) socio-economic groups.

David Mowat: Public Health England’s National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service has published data on variation in cancer survival linked with deprivation as part of its Routes to Diagnosis project. This covers 55 different cancers and shows that, on the whole, survival is poorer in more deprived populations. Full results are available at the following link:www.ncin.org.uk/publications/routes_to_diagnosis

Transplant Surgery: China

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many British citizens in each of the last five years travelled from the UK to China for organ transplant operations.

Nicola Blackwood: This information is not collected centrally. NHS Blood and Transplant co-ordinates the matching, allocation and retrieval of organs for transplantation carried out in the United Kingdom only.

Health Professions: Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2016 to Question 40562, if his Department will publish details of which stakeholders it plans to engage with before publishing its response to the consultation on healthcare student funding.

Mr Philip Dunne: The healthcare education funding reforms is a transformative policy with cross-cutting implications for both health and education sectors. Through agreed governance arrangements, the Department of Health, the Department for Education and HM Treasury have worked with health and education partners ahead of publishing the Government response. A list of respondents to the public consultation is included in the Government response published on 21 July 2016.

Patients: Transport

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many companies that provide patient transport services within the NHS have gone bankrupt or into administration while providing that service in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department does not hold this information.

Dentistry: Training

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding provided by Health Education England for dental foundation training to facilitate access to the dental performers list; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: All graduates of United Kingdom dental schools secured a place on the dental foundation training scheme in 2014 and 2015. Information for 2016 will be made available by Health Education England once confirmed. Foundation Training requires selection on merit but this year, as in the last two years, the scheme rules prioritise applicants who have graduated from UK dental schools.

Health Services: Staff

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will consult professional bodies to determine workforce requirements prior to the publication of Health Education England's Workforce Plan for England.

Mr Philip Dunne: It is for Health Education England (HEE) to determine how it consults with partners in the development of its workforce plan. The Care Act 2014 requires HEE to obtain advice on the delivery of its functions from a wide range of people, including those involved in the delivery of education and training. In developing its previous workforce plans, HEE has consulted with professional bodies and other stakeholders and has considered the evidence that they have made available.

NHS: Staff

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the devolution of NHS workforce planning.

Mr Philip Dunne: For the first time, there is now a publication of a national workforce plan for England setting out the investment that will be made in the education and training of the workforce. In developing the plan, Health Education England (HEE) has worked closely with local National Health Service providers, commissioners and other partners to ensure that it reflects the future workforce that is needed to deliver health services.HEE has published three workforce plans to date, in December 2013, December 2014 and most recently in May 2016. The latest plan sets out the education commissions that HEE will make in 2016/17. The latest Workforce plan can be found at:https://www.hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/HEE%20Workforce%20Plan%20for%20England%202016%20180516_0.pdfHEE is working with partners to strengthen local arrangements for workforce planning for example, it is establishing Local Workforce Action Boards which will be aligned to Sustainability and Transformation Plan geographies, thereby ensuring that workforce will be at the heart of decision making and implementation of future service transformation.

Patients: Transport

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what procedures are in place to safeguard patient transport services if a private provider of such a service goes into administration.

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on NHS services of private providers of those services entering into administration or suffering serious financial difficulty; and what contingency provisions he has put in place to mitigate such effects.

Mr Philip Dunne: It is the primary responsibility of commissioners to ensure continuity of commissioned services through contracting and contingency planning. Where a provider is considered hard to replace in the event of failure, its services can be designated as Commissioner Requested Services. This requires the provider to obtain a provider licence, if not otherwise required to hold a licence, and places the provider in NHS Improvement’s financial oversight regime for private providers of essential NHS services.

Medical Equipment

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of occasions on which bailiffs have seized operational equipment from private providers of NHS services; what the details are of each such occasion; and what steps his Department takes to prevent this happening.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department does not hold this information. The National Health Service body commissioning a service from the private sector should ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to ensure access to essential operational equipment in the event of one of its suppliers getting into financial difficulties.

Sepsis

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to support the Department of International and European Affairs of the German Ministry of Health's draft resolution on sepsis for the World Health Assembly General Assembly meeting in 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department is committed to improving diagnosis and management of sepsis and has a wide programme of work underway. We will consider the German Ministry of Health’s draft resolution to the World Health Assembly in due course.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England published all of the recommendations made in June 2016 by its Clinical Priorities Advisory Group relating to the medical interventions in the Cancer Programme of Care listed in Appendix 3 of NHS England's paper on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)-HIV Prevention, published in May 2016.

David Mowat: NHS England has published all of the recommendations made by the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) which relate to interventions in the Cancer Programme of Care, listed in Appendix 3 of NHS England's paper on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)-HIV Prevention. The majority of recommendations were published in June 2016, except those that CPAG had already considered (as in-year service developments) in early 2016. This includes policies relating to chemotherapy drugs and everolimus to treat angiomyolipomas, which were included in the PrEP paper in error.

Miscarriage

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many women in each of the last five years had a miscarriage.

Mr Philip Dunne: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) provide information on the number of miscarriages. The table shows the number of miscarriages from 2010/11 to 2014/15 where there was a hospital admission. YearNumber of miscarriages2010-1143,0052011-1242,5382012-1339,8002013-1438,8692014-1538,377 Activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector Source: HES, Health and Social Care Information Centre

NHS: Negligence

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the financial cost of incidences of human error within the NHS; and what steps his Department has taken to reduce the likelihood of such errors.

Mr Philip Dunne: According to a report prepared for the Department and published by Frontier Economics in October 2014, unsafe care can cost the National Health Service between £1 billion and £2.5 billion a year. In order to improve the safety of patients, we have established various initiatives including: - The Sign up to Safety Campaign officially launched in June 2014. More than 390 organisations have signed up thus far, and we are aware of more than 670 projects to reduce avoidable harm. Organisations that sign up must outline what they will do to strengthen patient safety, including a response to five key pledges and a safety improvement plan that demonstrates how they intend to save lives/reduce harm over the next three years. The campaign aims to help member organisations listen to patients, carers and staff, learn from what they say when things go wrong and take action to improve patient’s safety, helping to ensure patients get harm free care every time, everywhere; - The Patient Safety Collaboratives, a programme to improve the safety of patients and ensure that continual patient safety learning sits at the heart of healthcare in England; and - The NHS Safety Thermometer, a measurement tool for a programme of work to support patient safety improvement.

Ambulance Services

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of ambulance call-outs were for minor ailments in each (a) former strategic health authority area and (b) clinical commissioning group in each year since 2006.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested is not collected centrally. Lower acuity calls, such as minor ailments, are called “green calls”. Response times for these are set locally by commissioners and providers.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many accident and emergency visits there were for minor ailments in each clinical commissioning group in each year since 2012-13.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of visits to accident and emergency departments were for minor ailments in (a) England and (b) former strategic health authority areas in each year since 2006.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is attached. NHS England publishes information on the number of attendances at all types of accident and emergency department. A type 3 accident and emergency department is one that treats minor injuries and illnesses (sprains for example) and can be routinely accessed without an appointment. In this context, minor ailments have been interpreted as a type 3 accident and emergency attendance. Data are reported to NHS England by all organisations providing National Health Service funded emergency care services and averaging more than 200 attendees per month. It is not possible to aggregate these data to clinical commissioning group, and the 10 strategic health authorities were abolished in March 2013. Published data for type 3 attendances are only available from 2011-12 onwards. These data are presented by 13 commissioning sub-regions, which are not legal entities but are sub-divisions of NHS England.



PQ43137 PQ43137 data
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.07 KB)

Blood: Contamination

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government about financial support for victims of contaminated blood.

Nicola Blackwood: The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Jane Ellison) wrote to Vaughan Gething on 13 July 2016 to inform him of the publication of the Government Response to the Consultation on Reform of Financial and Other Support for those infected and affected by NHS supplied blood, and offered to arrange a call to discuss this further. Officials from the Department and the Welsh Government have been working together over the past few months on the issue of scheme reform, including a workshop in London in March to consider the themes emerging from the England consultation, and regular phone conferences.

Clinical Psychologists: Training

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to require clinical psychologists to contribute to their training costs either through (a) direct payment and (b) reduction in salary; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: There are currently no national plans in place to change the existing funding system for higher education training in clinical psychology.

West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group: Pay

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the level of remuneration was for the chair of NHS West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning  Group in 2015-16; and what assessment he has made of his performance in that role.

David Mowat: Information on the remuneration of chairs is held by individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and not collected centrally. West Lancashire CCG has published its chair’s level of remuneration in its Annual Report and Accounts which can be found online at: http://www.westlancashireccg.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/AnnualReport_2016_v11.pdf No such assessment has been made by the Department. NHS England has a statutory duty to conduct an annual performance assessment of each CCG. For 2015/16 and previous years it did this through an assurance process. For 2016/17 NHS England has introduced a CCG improvement and assessment framework which supersedes the assurance process. The new system is aligned to delivery of the Five Year Forward View, NHS Planning Guidance and Sustainability and Transformation Plans for each area.

Obesity: Lancashire

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the obesity rate is in Lancashire.

Nicola Blackwood: Obesity is commonly presented as prevalence. The most recent data available from the Active People Survey shows that between 2012 and 2014 24.0% of adults in Lancashire were obese. This is the same as the average for England. Data from the National Child Measurement Programme show that for the academic year 2014/15 in Lancashire 9.4% of children in Reception aged 4-5 years were obese; similar to the English average (9.1%). For children aged 10-11 year in Year 6, 18.4% were obese; similar to the value for England (19.1%). Data for 2015/16 is not available.

Clinical Commissioning Groups: Pay

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what level of pension benefit payments has been awarded to each part-time chair of clinical commissioning group governing bodies in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Chairs that are either employed directly by the clinical commissioning group or are general practitioners performing that role on a fee basis alongside their National Health Service practice duties can participate in the NHS Pension Scheme. As the employer, the clinical commissioning group contributes towards the cost of an individual’s pension benefits. The value of pension related benefit payments made each year in respect of their chairs is recorded by clinical commissioning groups in their annual report. The level of pension benefits that are payable to an individual upon retirement varies based on length of NHS service and will be calculated in accordance with the accrual rate and rules of the relevant pension scheme.

Drugs: Prices

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to respond to its consultation on changes to the statutory scheme to control the prices of branded health service medicines.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department is developing its response to the consultation.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Engineering and Science

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the outcome of the referendum on UK membership of the EU, if he will take steps to help the UK retain its leading scientists and engineers.

Joseph Johnson: The UK has a long established system that supports, and therefore attracts, the brightest minds, at all stages of their careers. We fund excellent research wherever it is found, and ensure there is the freedom to tackle important scientific questions. The Government is committed to maintaining and enhancing the strength of our research base, which is why at the Spending Review we committed to protect the science budget in real terms from its 2015/16 level of £4.7 billion per annum. The Government has said that there will be no immediate changes in circumstances for EU citizens working or studying in the UK - this includes scientists and engineers.

Digital Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether responsibility for digital consumer rights sits within his Department.

Jesse Norman: Responsibility for digital consumer rights sits with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Protecting consumer rights is an important issue and will remain a priority for the department.

Digital Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether responsibility for the Digital Single Market and the digital economy sits within his Department.

Jesse Norman: Responsibility for the Digital Single Market sits with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and responsibility for the Digital Economy sits with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether, following the recent machinery of government changes, the National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines is still based in his Department.

Greg Hands: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for International Trade.Under the machinery of government changes announced recently the UK NCP will now be located in the Department for International Trade.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Public Expenditure

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of his Department's total budget in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: Following the Machinery of Government changes, budgets will be formally agreed and approved by Parliament through the relevant Supply Estimate process. The next Estimate will be published in early 2017. The Department is working through the budgetary implications of the recent MOG announcements in advance of this.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Civil Servants employed by the Department for Energy and Climate Change he expects to move to employment in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: All the Civil Servants previously employed by the Department for Energy and Climate Change have moved to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All of its functions, along with the business, industrial strategy, science and innovation functions of the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have come together to form the new Department. Details of staff numbers at the former Department for Energy and Climate Change were published in its Annual Report and Accounts 2015/16 on 13 July 2016

Conditions of Employment

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department will be responsible for family-friendly employment policy and the right to request flexible working and shared parental leave.

Margot James: Ministers, and therefore Departments’ portfolio of policy responsibilities, are being agreed and will be announced in due course.

Research

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to maintain the current level of EU funding for research and innovation to recipient institutions.

Joseph Johnson: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Conditions of Employment: EU Law

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to ensure that UK employment rights continue to comply with EU standards.

Margot James: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Research

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions have taken place with the EU Science Commissioner on the future of EU funding for research and innovation in the UK.

Joseph Johnson: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Defence

Yemen: Military Intervention

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will respond to the findings of the Human Rights Watch report, Saudi Coalition Airstrikes Target Civilian Factories in Yemen, on remnants of UK-manufactured weapons found at three strike sites in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence analyses allegations of International Humanitarian Law violations arising from air strikes in Yemen conducted by the Saudi-led Coalition. Allegations are identified from a range of sources, including reports published by Non-Governmental Organisations such as Human Rights Watch.

Defence Business Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to announce the award date for the Defence Business Services corporate services integration and innovation provider contract; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence is currently examining options for the future of Defence Business Services (DBS) as part of the Future DBS Programme. No final decisions have been taken on whether any elements of DBS' current operations will be outsourced. Timescales will be confirmed in the event of a decision to outsource. If deemed necessary a statement will be made at the appropriate time.

Defence Business Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to postpone issuing a formal contract notice in the Official Journal of the European Union for the outsourcing of Defence Business Services as a result of the potential implications of the outcome of the EU referendum on the tendering process for that contract.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence is currently examining options for the future of Defence Business Services (DBS) as part of the Future DBS Programme (FDBS). No final decisions have been taken on whether any elements of DBS' current operations will be outsourced. In the event of a decision to outsource, the competition will be advertised in accordance with regulations prevailing at the time.

Military Aircraft: Kingston upon Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to reduce the number of military planes flying over Hull particularly at night.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procedures his Department has to minimise the (a) number of military flights over urban areas and (b) noise pollution such flights cause.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence takes its responsibilities to the general public very seriously indeed and would prefer not to cause any disturbance to the general public, including to those in Hull. However, there are no uninhabited areas of the UK large enough to cater for essential training needs.Flying operations in the UK Military Low Flying System are avoided within major built-up areas (generally those with a population of over 10,000), although it is not always possible to avoid flying over the outskirts of towns and villages. A range of measures are in place to provide a balance between military training requirements and the need to avoid excessive noise on the ground. These include restrictions placed on the height, speeds and operating procedures of military aircraft in the UK Military Low Flying System.Realistic training at night is essential to ensure aircrew are proficient in the necessary skills and to exploit our technological edge. The amount of night low flying remains proportional to the operational requirement.

Libya: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF flights over Libya have taken place each month between January and June 2016; what the purpose was of such flights; and what the type of aircraft used was for those flights.

Mike Penning: Part of our support to the political process in Libya has included the provision of military advisers and RAF flights to transport them. I am withholding information on the details of these flights as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Department for Communities and Local Government

West Midlands Combined Authority

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the staff time of Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council involved in setting up the combined authority.

Andrew Percy: We have made no such estimates. Whether, and how, councils approach setting up a combined authority is wholly a local matter for them. Creation of combined authorities is central to devolving power to local communities to ensure decisions are made locally.

Planning

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the conclusions of his Department's consultation on proposed changes to National Planning Policy will be published before the summer recess.

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government's response to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee's report on national planning policy will be published before the summer recess.

Gavin Barwell: We are carefully considering the 1,100 responses to the consultation, and expect to publish the response to the consultation and to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee report in the Autumn.

Refugees: Housing

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what (a) funding and (b) guidance his Department provides to local authorities to enable people who have recently been granted refugee status to benefit from rent deposit schemes if they are not considered to be in priority need for housing.

Gavin Barwell: Any person, including those granted refugee status, who is not in priority need is eligible for homelessness assistance. Local authorities have a duty to provide advice and information on homelessness, free of charge, to anyone seeking help. Wherever possible local housing authorities will try to stop households from facing the stress and upheaval of a homelessness crisis by taking steps to prevent their homelessness. That is why government has maintained and protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, totalling £315 million by 2019/20.Statutory guidance does not mandate the use of specific preventative tools but sets out a wide range of options so that local authorities can meet the specific needs of an individual on a case by case basis. Rent deposit and rent bond schemes are included within this guidance and the majority of local authorities will operate one.Since 2010 local authorities have prevented homelessness for over 1.1 million households. We have committed to work with local authorities, homelessness charities and across departments to consider options, including legislation, to put prevention at the centre of our approach to tackling homelessness.

Sleeping Rough: Redcar and Cleveland

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people rough sleeping in Redcar and Cleveland in each year since 2010.

Mr Marcus Jones: One person without a home is one too many and we are committed to doing all we can to prevent homelessness. That is why we have increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million. This includes a new £10 million fund to support innovative ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, and a new £10 million Social Impact Bond to support rough sleepers with the most complex needs. We also announced at Budget £100 million of funding for low-cost move-on accommodation, including for rough sleepers leaving hostels.DCLG publishes annual statistics on the number of people seen sleeping rough on a single night by local authority. These are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics

Rent Repayment Orders

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to monitor the use of extended Rent Repayment Orders.

Gavin Barwell: The Housing & Planning Act 2016 extended the grounds for seeking a Rent Repayment Order to include illegal eviction, breach of a banning order or failure to comply with a statutory notice. It is envisaged that each of these will also be banning order offences. Where a person or organisation has been convicted of a banning order offence, local authorities will be encouraged to record that information in the database of rogue landlords and property agents. This will enable government to monitor how frequently Rent Repayment Orders are used.

Local Government Executive: Training

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to improve the training offered to (a) the leaders of local authorities and (b) local authority cabinet members.

Mr Marcus Jones: Through DCLG grant funding, the Local Government Association (LGA) provides broad support to the local government sector, including training and support for members and officers, and policy briefings. This includes one-to-one mentoring for elected leaders and cabinet members by other member peers, members attending LGA Leadership Academy programmes, and corporate peer challenges. Corporate peer challenges involve a team of senior members and officers from other areas spending time in a council to review and challenge an aspect of its activity.

Public Houses: Ribble Valley

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many pubs have closed down in the Ribble Valley in the last three years.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government does not collect data relating to pub closures. However, it recognises the clear social and economic value of our pubs, including many of those in the Ribble Valley, not least the award-winning Swan with Two Necks at Pendleton, and is supporting them through a range of measures. These include helping communities to buy their locals through the new £3.62 million 'More than a Pub' programme; giving communities reasonable time to bid to buy their pub should it be put up for sale by listing it as an Asset of Community Value with their local authority; and freezing beer duty at Budget 2016, which followed an unprecedented cut in duty in each of the preceding three budgets, and the scrapping of the beer escalator at Budget 2013.

Councillors

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to encourage high quality candidates with (a) public and (b) private sector experience to become councillors.

Mr Marcus Jones: Local councillors play a vital role in providing leadership, a voice for local communities and in overseeing key public services. So it is important that political parties and the local government sector encourage high calibre candidates from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to put themselves forward to become local councillor candidates. The Local Government Association runs a programme to increase the diverse pool of talent from which councillors are elected to serve in local government.

HM Treasury

Business: Loans

Drew Hendry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the means of complaint and recourse available for customers when commercial loan books are sold to overseas operators.

Simon Kirby: Customers whose loans are sold to or administered by overseas operators retain their ability to complain to the firm in the first instance, and then through the Financial Ombudsman Service for covered complaints or through the Courts.

Public Expenditure: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to make additional funding available to Wales after the UK's exit from the European Union.

Mr David Gauke: The people of the UK have voted to leave the EU. It would not be appropriate to commit, without due consideration, to continuing to spend money over a long period as if we had not voted to leave the EU. But the Government remains committed to encouraging economic growth across the regions and nations of the UK. The Government is therefore carefully considering the use of these funds and will make an announcement on EU funding in due course.

Blood: Contamination

Nia Griffith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to make additional funding available to the Welsh Health Service as a result of the decision to offer increased annual payments to victims of contaminated blood.

Mr David Gauke: Health functions have been devolved to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This means responsibility for the infected blood payment schemes is a matter for those devolved administrations. The proposals for reform, set out in the government’s consultation response document published July 13, are for England only.

VAT: Scotland

Deidre  Brock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to devolve the setting of VAT rates to the Scottish Parliament after the withdrawal of the UK from the EU.

Mr David Gauke: In line with the all-party Smith Commission, the UK and Scottish Governments have agreed that receipts from the first 10p of the standard rate of VAT and the first 2.5p of the reduced rate of VAT in Scotland will be assigned to the Scottish Government from 2019-20. The UK Government is getting on with implementing that agreement.

EU Grants and Loans: Northern Ireland

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which (a) completed, (b) in progress and (c) scheduled projects in Northern Ireland have received or are scheduled to receive EU funding; what assessment he has made of the potential effect on that funding of the vote to leave the EU; and whether any resulting shortfall in funding will be met by his Department or the Northern Ireland Office.

Mr David Gauke: Details on individual projects which fall under devolved areas of responsibility are a matter for the devolved administration in Northern Ireland. In light of the UK’s vote to leave the EU, the Government is carefully considering the options for the future of EU-related funding.

Financial Services: Equal Pay

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will encourage companies to sign up to the Women in Finance Charter.

Simon Kirby: The government launched the HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter to take forward Jayne-Anne Gadhia’s recommendations following her review into the representation of senior women in financial services. Firms that have signed the Charter are committed to implementing four key industry actions to improve gender diversity in financial services. On 11 July the government announced that 72 firms have signed the Charter. Together these firms employ over 530,000 people in the UK, with headquarters across the UK, USA, Europe and Asia. Harnessing the talents of women in financial services is one of the government’s key priorities and we are committed to encouraging as many financial services firms as possible to sign the Women in Finance Charter.

EU Grants and Loans

Dan Jarvis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to maintain the level of funding currently delivered through the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund.

Mr David Gauke: The people of the UK have voted to leave the EU. It would not be appropriate to commit, without due consideration, to continuing to spend money over a long period as if we had not voted to leave the EU. But the Government remains committed to encouraging economic growth across the regions and nations of the UK. The Government is therefore carefully considering the use of these funds and will make an announcement on EU funding in due course.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the length of time it will take to negotiate trade agreements with the UK's major trading partners outside of the EU when the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands: My hon Friend the Prime Minister has established the Department for International Trade to promote British trade across the world and ensure the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. The pace of trade negotiations will vary country to country. The Prime Minister has also established a Department for Exiting the European Union for overseeing negotiations to leave the EU and establishing the future relationship between the UK and EU. However, until we leave, the UK will remain a full member of the EU, with all of the rights and obligations.

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many full-time equivalent officials in (a) his Department and (b) other government departments work in the National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines; and what the grades are of those officials.

Greg Hands: (a) The current allocation for staff in the UK National Contact Point is half a Grade 7, one full-time Senior executive officer and one full-time Higher executive officer. (b) None in other Departments.

Department for International Trade: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many trade specialists are currently employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: There are currently in excess of 50 civil servants in my Department primarily working on trade policy. They are assisted by officials in other Government Departments, notably the Department for Exiting the EU, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as well as by other officials within my Department for whom trade policy is not their primary responsibility.

Department for International Trade: Public Expenditure

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of his Department's total budget in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade is currently being established. This requires machinery of government changes which are ongoing. Parliamentary budget delegations will be amended in due course.

Developing Countries: Poverty

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether UK trade negotiators will be instructed to consider the risks and opportunities for poverty reduction in the least developed countries during future negotiations of trade deals.

Greg Hands: The UK Government is committed to ensuring developing countries can reduce poverty through trading opportunities. Trading arrangements that do not involve developing countries can still have an impact on them. Such impacts will be taken into account as the UK develops its international trade policy.

Developing Countries: Exports

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK's future trade agreements take into account their potential effect on exports from the least developed countries to the UK.

Greg Hands: The UK Government is committed to ensuring developing countries can reduce poverty through trading opportunities. As the UK prepares to leave the EU there will be no initial change in the way we trade with developing countries. The UK has a unique opportunity to shape a bright future for the UK and its trading relationship with developing countries.

Exports

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he plans to maintain the target set by the last Government to raise the level of British exports to £1 trillion by 2020.

Mark Garnier: The Government is continuing to drive progress against its manifesto commitments of having 100,000 more UK companies exporting in 2020 than in 2010 and reaching £1 trillion exports in 2020. To support these efforts, the Prime Minister created the Department for International Trade, which will develop, coordinate and deliver trade and investment policy to promote UK business across the globe.

Women and Equalities

Agriculture: Females

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will take steps to ensure that women in the agricultural sector receive equal pay to men.

Caroline Dinenage: The Equality Act 2010 ensures that employers must pay women the same as men, irrespective of economic sector, where they are employed to do like work, work rated as equivalent or equal value work. As well as pay, these “equality of terms” provisions also require other contractual terms, such as bonuses and access to opportunities, to be offered on equal terms to men and women. Where an employer allegedly breaches the equality of terms provisions in the 2010 Act, an employee can enforce their rights by making a claim in an Employment Tribunal within 6 months of the alleged breach. An employer found in breach may be liable to pay compensation and/or costs. Prior to considering legal action, employees who feel that their employer has breached the equality of terms provisions in the 2010 Act can seek advice from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas). Acas provides free authoritative and impartial advice to employees and employers via their website (www.acas.org.uk) and via its telephone helpline (08457 47 47 47). Advice can also be sought from the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), which provides free bespoke advice and support to individuals with discrimination enquiries. The EASS can be contacted via its website (http://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/), or via telephone (0808 8000082, textphone users can call 0808 8000084). The Equality and Human Right Commission has published extensive equal pay guidance for both employers and employees on its website at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/our-work/equal-pay

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Finance

Neil Coyle: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the Equality and Humans Rights Committee's budget will be for (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20.

Caroline Dinenage: As a result of the spending review 2015, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been allocated a budget of £21.435m for 2016-17. Budgets for the years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 are being finalised by the Department for Education in consultation with the EHRC, and are consistent with the spending review settlement provided to the Department. We hope to be in a position to confirm budgets for these years shortly.

Employment: Equality

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with his Cabinet colleagues on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the legal framework for equal treatment in employment.

Caroline Dinenage: My cabinet colleagues and I have not yet had such discussions. We remain a full member of the EU until negotiations are concluded, and must continue to meet our obligations as a member of the EU, including the existing directives.

Department for Transport

Southern: Standards

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in which reporting periods Southern Railway's performance met the specified benchmarks set out in the franchise agreement since that agreement was signed.

Paul Maynard: Performance benchmarks were set for the entire Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) franchise, not by constituent business groups, e.g. Southern. Since Rail Industry period 7 in financial year 2015/16 (ending mid October 2015), GTR exceeded the breach level for the Cancellations benchmark. Last year the then Secretary of State issued GTR with a Remedial Plan Notice requiring them to set out the measures they will take in order to improve their performance. The then Secretary of State has published the Remedial Plan and it includes benchmarks against which GTR are measured for the duration of the Plan.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the effect on the environment of vehicles using (a) diesel and (b) liquefied petroleum gas.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport assesses a number of different fuels in terms of a range of environmental impacts including air quality and greenhouse gas emissions. A number of initiatives are underway to encourage cleaner, lower carbon fuels. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation was amended to increase rewards for suppliers of biopropane from April 2015, following a consultation which considered the potential benefits of alternative fuels, including biopropane, in delivering greenhouse gas savings. Biopropane is the term commonly used to describe liquid petroleum gas (LPG) derived from production processes that use biomass as the feedstock. The Department for Transport and Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership also established a Transport Energy Task Force which considered the potential of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in meeting our greenhouse gas reduction targets, alongside other alternative fuels, last year. While no formal assessment of the air quality impact of LPG has been made, DfT and Defra officials met with representatives of the LPG industry during the consultation on the UK Air Quality Plans in 2015. Industry data shows that retrofitting older diesel cars and vans to run on LPG can reduce emissions of NOx (oxides of nitrogen) and particulate matter whilst producing CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions between those of equivalent diesel and petrol engines. Birmingham City Council were awarded £500,000 to enable the conversion of older black cabs from diesel to LPG as part of the 2014 Clean Vehicle Technology Fund (CVTF) grant scheme. As part of this funding, emissions will be measured before and after conversion. As part of the Department’s Heavy Goods Vehicle emissions testing programme, the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership is testing a dual fuel (diesel / LPG) retrofit conversion to a Euro VI truck, as well as gas and diesel comparators. Vehicle tests are currently underway and we expect to publish the results later this year. On 30th June, the Department launched an HGV accreditation scheme for retrofit technology to enable equipment manufacturers or vehicle operators to conduct robust, repeatable and reliable tests to validate the impact on fuel consumption and emissions under a range of operating conditions.

Road Traffic: Bury St Edmunds

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many traffic surveys and counts his Department has conducted in Bury St Edmunds constituency since 2010.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport (DfT) has conducted the following numbers of manual traffic counts within the area covered by Bury St Edmunds constituency in each year since 2010. 2010 17 counts2011 16 counts2012 16 counts2013 16 counts2014 16 counts2015 13 counts These counts are carried out for the purpose of producing DfT’s statistics on traffic. They are conducted by observing traffic unobtrusively at designated locations and consequently have no impact on the traffic flows.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent research his Department has conducted on (a) the merits of static speed cameras and (b) the effect of conspicuously marking such cameras on their effectiveness.

Andrew Jones: The Department published “The national safety camera programme: Four-year evaluation report” in December 2005. The Road Safety Observatory, of which the Department is a member, published “Effectiveness Of Speed Cameras In Preventing Road Traffic Collisions And Related Casualties: Systematic Review” in March 2013. No research has been carried out of the effect of conspicuously marking cameras.

Railway Stations: Disability

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on providing a further round of accessibility funding for (a) lifts and (b) other accessibility devices at mainline railway stations; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: The Access for All programme has delivered accessible step-free routes at over 150 stations since 2006, with smaller scale access improvements at more than 1,500 stations. To build on this success, we made a further £160m available to extend the programme, providing step-free routes at a further 68 stations. This is in addition to access improvements delivered as part of other major projects, such as Crossrail which will deliver step-free routes at another 40 stations. No decision has been made on the overall rail funding package, including funding for accessibility improvements, for Control Period 6 (2019-2024).

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the official distances between London and Birmingham are for the (a) shortest journey by road, (b) shortest existing journey by rail and (c) projected High Speed 2 line.

Andrew Jones: (a) Highways England do not collect shortest road journey information, however information available via online route planning tools shows that a journey from London Charing Cross to Birmingham Town Hall, via the A40, M40, M42 and A34 requires a journey of 118 miles (b) 113 miles between London Euston and Birmingham New Street. The distance between the principal Birmingham station and nearest London terminal and (c) approximately 109 miles to the nearest mile.

Southern: Standards

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the performance of Southern Railway Limited for the period 11 to 18 July 2016 met the specified benchmarks in the Remedial Plan.

Paul Maynard: Actual performance against the performance benchmarks are calculated each four-weekly railway period, not on a weekly basis. Therefore, the Department does not have the information requested for the period 11 to 18 July 2016.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2016 to Question 40332, on Thameslink railway line: rolling stock, whether his Department has received any representations from trade unions on the potential safety implications of operating Class 700 trains under Driver Only Operation or Driver Controlled Operation.

Paul Maynard: My Department has not received any such representations.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which fees (a) have been paid and (b) are due to be paid to Tim Mould QC for work relating to High Speed 2.

Andrew Jones: The Department has appointed a team of solicitors, Parliamentary Agents and barristers to support the HS2 project. Tim Mould QC is primarily employed to support the HS2 hybrid Bill process which gives those affected by HS2 an opportunity to present their concerns in Parliament. Since 2013 the Department for Transport has paid £679,567.10 to Tim Mould QC to support the HS2 project on Bill related matters. This figure is correct to 19 July 2016 and is exclusive of VAT. In addition, since approximately 2010, the Department has also instructed a number of barristers, including Tim Mould QC, on other HS2 related matters, primarily litigation. These barristers will have been remunerated at government hourly rates agreed with the Attorney General, but it would involve disproportionate cost for the Department to provide precise figures. The use of barristers to support the HS2 project is demand led and so it is not possible to forecast the fees that may be paid to Tim Mould QC in the future.

Heathrow Airport

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic benefit to Bradford of any expansion of Heathrow.

Andrew Jones: Our global connections are crucial for British business and benefit the whole country. The economic benefits to the UK as a whole, not just London and the South East, will be taken into consideration when making a decision on a preferred scheme for airport expansion, alongside a range of other relevant evidence.

Roads: West Yorkshire

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic effect on the West Yorkshire area of improvement of the road network between Huddersfield and Bradford.

Andrew Jones: Determining which local road improvement schemes will offer the greatest benefit to the local economy is a matter for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the five constituent Local Authorities. As part of the Roads Investment Strategy, Highways England’s Delivery Plan for the Strategic Road Network includes a number of improvements which will improve connectivity between Huddersfield and Bradford. As well as providing additional capacity, these improvements will also present the opportunity to release additional land along the corridor for development, which will support economic growth in West Yorkshire.

M62: West Yorkshire

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic effect on the West Yorkshire area of an additional junction on the M62 between junctions 24 and 25.

Mr John Hayes: This Government is committing investment to improve the M62 by upgrading to Smart Motorway between Junction 20 and 25. Additional funding was also announced at the Budget (2016) to bring forward the start of works to mid 2019-2020.Proposals to improve the M62 from post-2020 will be considered as we prepare the second Road Investment Strategy – announced at Budget 2016. As part of the evidence-gathering process, Highways England is revisiting its Route Strategies to examine issues right across England’s motorways and major trunk roads. MPs and stakeholders are encouraged to engage with Highways England throughout this process.

London City Airport

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when a decision will be made on the expansion of London City Airport.

Andrew Jones: Government has published a target date for issuing this decision of 28 September. However we aim to reach all planning decisions ahead of target dates where possible.

Crossrail 2 Line

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2016 to Question 39611, when he plans to consider whether there is a good business case and funding available for the eastern branch of Crossrail 2.

Andrew Jones: The business case for the core scheme is being revised for March 2017. Until this work is complete, we are not in a position to plan any further work on any potential eastern branch. Transport for London is undertaking a study with the eastern boroughs, including Newham, on the future transport needs of the area in the context of already planned improvements.

Transport: Suffolk

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department spent on transport infrastructure projects in (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency and (b) Suffolk in each year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

Andrew Jones: Details on spend for transport infrastructure projects are not available at constituency level nor is there an annual breakdown at county level. However, Suffolk has benefitted from significant Government investment in transport projects over the period 2010-11 to 2015-16. The Ipswich Chord is a £59m rail link connecting the Port of Felixstowe to the Great Eastern Main Line. The project was completed in 2014. A further £24m has been invested in improvements at Ipswich freight yard, which were completed in 2015. This forms part of a wider portfolio of improvements to rail freight services between the Port of Felixstowe and the West Coast Main Line which will help reduce congestion on the A14. The A11 widening scheme is a £105m improvement to the A11 between Thetford and Fiveways roundabout, which opened in December 2014. Suffolk CC received a £18.3m Government contribution towards their £21.6m Travel Ipswich scheme in September 2015, an integrated package of sustainable transport measures. In 2011 Suffolk CC also received £5m of Local Sustainable Transport Funding (LSTF) for the Lowestoft Local Links project that will deliver a range of sustainable transport benefits in the town, including cycling & walking and in 2013/14 Suffolk CC was awarded £1.5m via the Cycle Safety Fund. As part of the July 2014 Local Growth Fund allocation, the New Anglia LEP secured Government funding of £5.7m for the Bury St. Edmunds Eastern Relief Road and £2m for the Beccles Southern Relief Road in Suffolk. In addition, Government provided £4.6m towards the £6.6m Lowestoft Northern Spine Road, completed in March 2015. Looking to the future, this Government continues to invest in transport infrastructure in Suffolk - at Budget 2016, a £73.4m Government contribution was announced towards the Lowestoft Third Crossing plus £77.5m for the Ipswich Wet Dock Crossing.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Kuwait: Minority Groups

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the bedoon community in Kuwait; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK continues to follow with concern the situation of the Bidoon in Kuwait. We recognise that their ambiguous status has a significant impact on this marginalised community. We encourage the Kuwaiti Government to meet its commitments to regularise the status of Bidoon, and to swiftly naturalise those who have a legitimate claim to citizenship.

Kuwait: Minority Groups

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he and his Department have discussed the position of the bedoon community with the Kuwaiti government.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We regularly raise the issue of the Bidoon at the highest levels of Kuwait’s Government. Human rights, including the status of the Bidoon, are also discussed bilaterally at the biannual UK-Kuwait Joint Steering Group meetings, the most recent of which was held in London at the end of May.

Kashmir: British Nationals Abroad

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Indian government to ensure the welfare and safe return of British citizens affected by the curfew in Kashmir.

Alok Sharma: Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely. We have updated our travel advice and encourage British nationals in Kashmir to monitor it. We have not made any representations to the government of India on this issue.

Western Sahara: Natural Resources

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will call for an end to the extraction of natural resources from Western Sahara through agreements that disregard the interests and wishes of the indigenous Saharawi people.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: UK policy on commercial activity in Western Sahara is clear and longstanding and follows the legal opinion sought by the UN in 2002: that such activity is not in itself in violation of international legal principles unless it proceeds without respect to the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara. We continue to urge any commercial entity considering investing in Western Sahara to follow this advice and seek their own legal advice.

UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on how many (a) Saharawi and (b) Moroccan people are employed by MINURSO in Western Sahara.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office holds no information on the ethnicity or origin of United Nations staff.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the UN Security Council on setting a date for a free and fair referendum in Western Sahara with an option for independence on the ballot paper.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: It is for the parties to the dispute to agree a resolution of the final status of Western Sahara. The UK encourages both sides to cooperate with the United Nations process to reach a mutually acceptable solution that provides for the self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.

UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations at the meeting of the UN Security Council on 26 July 2016 that MINURSO must be enabled to fulfil its original mandate.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We continue to make clear our expectation that MINURSO be returned to full functionality in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2285.

Kashmir: Press Freedom

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Indian government on suppression of the press in Kashmir and Jammu.

Alok Sharma: The UK Government has not made any representation to the Government of India on freedom of press in Jammu and Kashmir. We recognise that there are broader human rights concerns in Kashmir. In November 2015, Indian Prime Minister Modi assured the former Prime Minister, my Rt hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) of his commitment to and respect for India’s core values of tolerance and freedom.

Kashmir: Military Intervention

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government is making to the government of Indian on the Indian Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act 1990 and scrutiny of Indian military intervention in Kashmir.

Alok Sharma: The UK Government has not made any recent representations to the Government of India on the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) or on Indian military intervention in Kashmir. We are aware of the concerns regarding allegations of immunity from prosecution for Indian armed forces personnel under the AFSPA. We continue to follow developments on this issue. The Indian Government have an established mechanism though which people can request that cases of concern be investigated. In November 2015, Indian Prime Minister Modi assured the former Prime Minister, my Rt hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) of his commitment to and respect for India’s core values of tolerance and freedom.

Kashmir: Politics and Government

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Indian government on civilians killed and injured in Kashmir since the death of Burhan Wani.

Alok Sharma: I was deeply saddened by reports of unrest in Kashmir earlier this month and offer my condolences to the victims and their families. Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and we have updated our travel advice. We have not made any representations to the government of India on this issue.

UN Refugees and Migrants Summit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many delegates and from which Departments the UK plans to send to the UNGA Summit on Refugees and Migrants.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UN Refugees and Migrants Summit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his objectives are for the upcoming UNGA Summit on Refugees and Migrants.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UN Refugees and Migrants Summit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will attend the UNGA Summit on Refugees and Migrants.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Education

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to increase access to education for children who are missing out on education because of conflict, natural disaster and other emergencies.

James Wharton: The UK is committed to increasing access to education to ensure children and young people are able to access a quality education in emergencies and crises. A key example is the Syria region. Through the No Lost Generation Initiative, DFID has announced a further £240million for education in Jordan and Lebanon over the next four years, on top of the £115million already provided to give every child in the region access to education. The recent London Syria conference has resulted in international pledges to get every refugee and vulnerable child in the host countries bordering Syria, into quality education by the 2016/17 school year.The UK has also played a leading role in the development of the Education Cannot Wait fund, which is designed to attract multi-year additional funding for education in emergencies and protracted crises. The UK pledged £30 million to Education Cannot Wait at its launch at the World Humanitarian Summit in May, which will contribute towards over 4.5million children receiving a better education over the next two years.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches children and families in besieged towns in Syria.

Rory Stewart: The UK is at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the Syria crisis. We have pledged over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis.The UN estimates that, of 13.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria, 4.6 million are living in areas where humanitarian access is extremely restricted, including 592,700 people living under siege. It is unacceptable and illegal to use starvation as a weapon of war.We are doing all we can to open up humanitarian access. We have supported the UN and international NGOs since the start of the conflict to deliver aid to UN-designated hard-to-reach and besieged areas. UK co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolutions have enabled over 300 convoys of aid to reach vulnerable people in hard-to-reach areas without the consent of the Syrian regime. We will continue to use our position in the UN Security Council and International Syria Support Group to push for unrestricted and unfettered humanitarian access, whilst maintaining the pressure for a political settlement to bring the suffering of the Syrian people to an end.

Overseas Aid

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will consider extending current programme partnership arrangements until a replacement mechanism is introduced.

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to replace programme partnership arrangements.

Priti Patel: I am currently considering the outcomes of my Department’s Civil Society Partnership Review, and will aim to publish it shortly.In July 2015, the then Secretary of State for International Development announced a 9 month extension of all PPA financing, providing 18 months-notice that all current PPA financing would come to an end in December 2016.

Africa: Food

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department has provided for food production projects in Africa in each of the last five years; and what involvement UK companies have had in such projects.

James Wharton: In the last five calendar years, DFID spending in Africa on agriculture, fishing and forestry is set out below. Funds are spent through a range of delivery channels including private sector projects, challenge funds, funding through multilateral agencies and funding through African Governments. £ thousands 20102011201220132014Agriculture, forestry and fishing£33,327£48,426£45,354£44,748£61,350 The private sector is vital for boosting food production in Africa. UK companies can participate in our projects to improve agricultural markets in a number of ways. The African Agriculture Development Fund (AgDevCo), which is a not for profit UK based company, invests debt and equity in African agribusinesses to create jobs, boost food security and increase prosperity. DFID is a principal funder of AgDevCo. UK companies are also implementers of our agriculture projects after winning competitive tenders. We share information with companies active in African agricultural markets either as buyers or investors. UK companies can be part of proposals to DFID funded challenge funds, such as the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, but only through their links to partner companies based in Africa rather than as direct beneficiaries.

Ethiopia: Food Supply

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the effects of the food crisis in Ethiopia on people in that country.

James Wharton: Ethiopia is in the midst of its worst drought for 30 years, with 18.2 million people, approximately 20% of the population, in need of humanitarian assistance at the peak of the crisis. There has been a strong effort by the Government of Ethiopia and humanitarian partners to help save lives and safeguard livelihoods through provision of food, water and other essential supplies.The UK Government has responded quickly and decisively since the onset of the drought in July 2015. So far, the UK Government has committed £145 million overall, making us the second largest donor to the response. This has included a commitment of £40 million to provide food aid to 3.8 million people in 2016 alone.As Ethiopia moves into the traditional hungry period of July-September, the Government of Ethiopia and United Nations will revise their funding appeal, which is currently over a billion pounds and 70 % funded. The UK Government will continue to provide support and leadership to the humanitarian response in the coming months.

Ethiopia: Droughts

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support local faith and church networks in Ethiopia in their efforts to assist people affected by the current drought.

James Wharton: DFID has not provided direct financial support to local faith and church networks responding to the drought in Ethiopia. However, DFID has contributed £70.1 million over three years (2014-16) to the Ethiopia Humanitarian Response Fund (HRF), a pooled donor fund responding to the most urgent drought needs. DFID is the largest donor to the HRF (74% of current funding), which is administered by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).In 2016 alone, the HRF has granted £40 million to 48 projects run by organizations, including World Vision and Catholic Relief Services, to bring food, water and emergency healthcare to over half a million of the most drought affected men, women and children in Ethiopia.

Department for Education

Universities

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has (a) made to and (b) received from universities on the implications of the outcome of the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.

Joseph Johnson: The Government has met a number of stakeholders since the referendum for meetings that included discussion of EU issues. The Government continues to work closely with the higher education sector[1] and to listen to their feedback on the implications of the referendum outcome. The Government will continue to engage with the whole HE sector on these important issues and welcome their valuable input. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-on-higher-education-and-research-following-the-eu-referendum

National Curriculum Tests

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of key stage 2 tests in 2016 have required remarking.

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary schools have raised concerns with her Department on the marking of the key stage 2 reading assessment in 2016.

Nick Gibb: If a school believes that there is a discrepancy between how questions have been marked and the published mark scheme for Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests, they had until 15 July 2016 to apply for a marking review. Statistics related to marking reviews will be published in November 2016.

National Curriculum Tests: Reading

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) provisional overall pass rate was for key stage 2 reading in 2016 and (b) overall pass rate for key stage 2 reading was in each of the preceding four years.

Nick Gibb: The percentage of pupils who achieved the expected standard (a scaled score of 100 or above) in reading at Key Stage 2 (KS2) in 2016 is 66%. This is published as part of the “National curriculum assessments at KS2 in England, 2016 (interim)”[1] statistical first release (SFR).Children sitting KS2 tests in 2016 were the first to be taught and assessed under the new National Curriculum, tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard has also been raised. The Head of Profession for Statistics has made clear that due to these changes the expected standard this year is not comparable with the expected standard used in previous years’ statistics; it would be incorrect and misleading to make direct comparisons showing changes over time.The expected standard under the previous system was the percentage of pupils achieving level 4 or above. Performance against this standard for previous years is published in table 1 of the “National curriculum assessments: key stage 2, 2015 (revised)”[2] SFR. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/534573/SFR30_2016_text.pdf[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-2015-revised

Primary Education: Free School Meals

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total cost to the public purse was of the Small Schools Taskforce report on free school meals.

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish the Small Schools Taskforce report on free school meals.

Nick Gibb: The small schools taskforce was made up of a number of local authority and private sector caterers and manufacturers who were unpaid but could claim expenses. The total value of the contract to deliver action arising from the School Food Plan was £204,000. We are able to directly attribute around £10,000 of this to the work of the Small Schools Taskforce; in addition there would have been small amounts claimed in expenses for the other taskforce members.The majority of the findings from the Small Schools Taskforce report are already in the public domain following the publication of the toolkit for small schools, which is available at: http://www.thegreatschoollunch.co.uk/media/169570/CFT-SmallSchoolToolkit.pdf

Foreign Students: EU Countries

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of leaving the EU on the number of UK students studying overseas at universities in EU member states.

Joseph Johnson: There are no immediate changes following the EU Referendum, including in the circumstances of British citizens studying, or planning to study, in the EU. Future arrangements for studying abroad will need to be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK’s relationship with the EU.

Academies: Sex and Relationship Education

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary and secondary academies and free schools teach sex and relationships education.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not hold this information.Sex and relationship education is compulsory in maintained secondary schools. Academies and free schools do not have to teach sex and relationship education but many choose to do so as part of their statutory duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. When academies do teach sex and relationship education they are required through their funding agreement to have regard to the Secretary of State’s Sex and Relationship Education Guidance. The guidance can be accessed at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/sex-and-relationship-education

Overseas Students: EU Nationals

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the outcome of the EU referendum on EU students wishing to study in UK universities.

Joseph Johnson: The UK has a long established higher education system that supports, and therefore attracts, the brightest minds, at all stages of their careers. Existing rules on EU and other EEA students remain in force. Future arrangements for EU students wishing to study in the UK will need to be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK's relationship with the EU.

Academies: National Curriculum Tests

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to publish Key Stage 2, 3 and 4 results for all multi-academy trusts.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education already publishes Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 results for schools, including those in multi-academy trusts. Assessment at Key Stage 3 is a matter for schools and, as such, there is no statutory national test at the end of Key Stage 3.The Education White Paper ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’ set out the Government plans to publish performance information for multi-academy trusts in addition to the continued publication of performance data at individual school level. On Thursday 7 July, we published a statistical working paper, using our developing approach, showing the performance of multi-academy trusts at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 using 2015 results.

Class Sizes

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in which local authority areas there have been class sizes of more than 30 in the last three years.

Nick Gibb: Information on primary class sizes by local authority can be found in table 11 of the ‘schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistics, which is available for each of the last three years[1]. Information on secondary class sizes is provided at a national level in table 6b of these statistics. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers

Apprentices

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of differential rates of apprenticeship completion by sector; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Halfon: Apprenticeship achievement rates by sector subject area vary from 60.4% (Science and Maths) to 78.9% (Information and Communication Technology). With the exceptions of Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care, Arts, Media and Publishing and Science and Mathematics, the achievement rate for all Sector Subject Areas increased between the 2013/14 and 2014/15 academic years. Our reforms are improving the quality of all apprenticeships. We have insisted that they must all be paid jobs with substantial training, develop transferable skills and have a minimum 12 months’ duration. Ensuring that, at the end of their apprenticeship, apprentices have transferable skills and can progress their career will all help encourage people to complete their apprenticeship.

Teachers: Bureaucracy

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations her Department has received on the recommendations of the Report of the Independent Teacher Workload Review Group entitled Eliminating unnecessary workload associated with Data Management published in March 2016; and from whom those representations were received.

Nick Gibb: We established three independent review groups to tackle workload related to data management, marking and lesson planning. Members of the review groups included serving teachers and head teachers, teaching unions and Ofsted.No formal representations have been received on the recommendations in the data management report although all three reports have been well received by the profession and ongoing discussions are taking place with teachers and their representatives to help embed their principles and implement the recommendations.

Secondary Education: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has given from the public purse to each Nottinghamshire secondary school through the Year 7 catch-up grant in each of the last three academic years.

Nick Gibb: The Department publishes details online of individual school Year 7 Catch-up Premium allocations for each financial year. Details of the past three years allocations for all schools by local authority can be found here: 2015-16: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/year-7-catch-up-premium-2015-to-2016-allocations 2014-15: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/year-7-catch-up-premium-2014-to-2015-allocations 2013-14: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/year-7-catch-up-premium-2013-to-2014-final-allocations

Schools: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the reduction in General Annual Grant for (a) secondary and (b) primary schools in Nottinghamshire is from academic year 2015-16 to academic year 2016-17.

Nick Gibb: Maintained schools and academies are paid by reference to different financial years, which are not contiguous with academic years for maintained schools. Consequently funding figures for the academic year 2016/17 are not published. The table below shows that funding increased for Nottinghamshire primary schools and academies by £7.03m, and for secondary schools and academies by £0.62m between financial years 2015-16 and 2016-17. 2015-16 FY (£)2016-17 FY (£)YoY Change (£)a) Secondary185,506,841186,130,700623,859b) Primary240,790,943247,822,5677,031,624 Note: There is also a single ‘All Through’ provider that is not included in these figures.

Secondary Education: Finance

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans for the Year 7 catch-up grant for secondary schools to continue after academic year 2016-17.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average funding will be for each secondary school pupil from the Year 7 catch-up grant in academic year 2016-17.

Nick Gibb: Since 2012 we have provided £500 per pupil funding to secondary schools for year 7 pupils who did not meet the expected standard in reading or mathematics at primary school. This funding enables schools to deliver additional support, such as individual tuition or intensive support in small groups, for those pupils that most need it.While this funding applied for the period of the spending review, to 2015-16, on 7 July 2016 we announced that schools will receive catch-up funding in 2016-17. Schools will receive the same total amount of funding they received in 2015-16 adjusted to reflect the percentage change in the size of their year 7 cohort. We will not know the final amount for each pupil in 2016-17 until the allocations have been determined based on data from the autumn 2016 schools census.We will make an announcement about the future of the year 7 catch-up premium in due course.

Academies: Accountability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to ensure the accountability of academies to their local community; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Performance data for all maintained schools, including academies, is published on the school performance tables website[1]. This provides information that local communities and parents can use to hold schools to account.Academies are also subject to independent inspection by Ofsted, which provides an important source of information for local communities and parents.The Education white paper, ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’, set out the Government’s plans to publish performance information for multi-academy trusts in addition to the continued publication of performance data at individual school level. On Thursday 7 July, we published a statistical working paper[2], using our developing approach, showing the performance of multi-academy trusts at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 using 2015 results. [1] https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/535604/SFR32_2016_text.pdf

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Digital Technology: South Wales

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has made to promote digital inclusion in the South Wales Valleys.

Matt Hancock: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 20 July 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Ministers from both Departments meet regularly to discuss a range of issues.The Department for Culture, Media & Sport has responsibility for digital engagement policy in England. The Welsh Government is responsible for this policy in Wales, where it is referred to as digital inclusion. The Welsh Government’s “Digital Communities Wales” programme aims to help digitally excluded people engage with technology and support organisations which work with those individuals. The UK government and devolved administrations collaborate and share good practice around digital engagement. The Department for Culture, Media & Sport also works with partners to develop products such as the “Digital Inclusion Outcomes Framework” for all to use.

Matt Hancock: Ministers from both Departments meet regularly to discuss a range of issues.The Department for Culture, Media & Sport has responsibility for digital engagement policy in England. The Welsh Government is responsible for this policy in Wales, where it is referred to as digital inclusion. The Welsh Government’s “Digital Communities Wales” programme aims to help digitally excluded people engage with technology and support organisations which work with those individuals. The UK government and devolved administrations collaborate and share good practice around digital engagement. The Department for Culture, Media & Sport also works with partners to develop products such as the “Digital Inclusion Outcomes Framework” for all to use.

Charities: Finance

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on funding for charities of the outcome of the EU referendum.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effects on charities of the outcome of the EU referendum.

Mr Rob Wilson: The UK has a strong and diverse charitable sector. It is too early at this stage to make a full assessment of the potential effects for charities resulting from the outcome of the EU referendum. We will continue working with charities and their representative bodies to understand the potential effects on charities and the potential impact on funding for charities. These will depend on the arrangements agreed for exiting the EU, and different types of charity are likely to be affected in different ways.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to establish a non-departmental public body as part of the process of placing the National Citizen Service on a permanent statutory footing.

Mr Rob Wilson: The National Citizen Service (NCS) Bill will place NCS on a statutory footing and describe its means of delivery. Classification is a subject for the Office for National Statistics in the first stage.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of broader changes to funding of youth services on the objectives of the National Citizen Service programme.

Mr Rob Wilson: National Citizen Service (NCS) delivers positive outcomes for young people and supports the wider youth sector. NCS is delivered by a supply chain of over 200 youth service providers from the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and from local authorities. Cabinet Office has also pledged to support the #iwill campaign to increase participation in youth social action by continuing to invest in youth social action and share evidence and best practice.Local authorities have a statutory duty to secure sufficient services and activities to improve the wellbeing of young people and are best placed to decide how to do so according to local need and resources.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the cost-effectiveness of the National Citizen Service programme compared with other youth social action programmes.

Mr Rob Wilson: National Citizen Service (NCS) is a unique programme for young people focused around adventure, discovery and giving back to communities. Robust, independent evaluations show that NCS delivers positive impacts for young people and value for money. For every £1 spent, it generates up to £3.98 of social benefits.Government has evaluated the impact of investment in a range of youth social action opportunities as part of Step Up To Serve’s #iwill campaign. Funding has also been provided to the Centre for Youth Impact to develop the youth sector’s capability to design, deliver and commission cost­effective services for young people.

Charities: ICT

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to help charities improve their digital capabilities.

Mr Rob Wilson: Government is committed to supporting the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector address it’s organisational needs. Through the £20m Local Sustainability Fund, Government is supporting 265 small to medium sized organisation deliver change to secure and enhance their services.Government is also actively tackling digital exclusion by working with partners to increase basic digital skills and Internet use for individuals and organisations.Within the Office for Civil Society, officials are working with independent VCSE sector funders and influencers to build stronger leadership and governance. Part of this work will focus on preparing the sector for the future, which we expect to include building an understanding of the importance of developing digital skills and capability.

Charities

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to improve public trust and confidence in charities.

Mr Rob Wilson: The Government has taken a number of steps to improve public trust and confidence in charities in England and Wales The Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016 gives the Charity Commission new and enhanced powers to tackle serious abuses of charitable status. The Charity Commission is already taking a more robust approach to tackling abuse and mismanagement and has also simplified and updated guidance for trustees to remind them of their duties.Following scandals in 2015 that highlighted unacceptable charitable fundraising practices, a new Fundraising Regulator has been established. Chaired by Lord Grade of Yarmouth, this independent regulator is tasked to set high standards of fundraising practice and to deal with public complaints when these have been breached. It has a range of sanctions and can refer serious non­compliance or abuse to the relevant statutory regulator.The Fundraising Regulator will also develop a Fundraising Preference Service to enable people who feel inundated with targeted fundraising requests to put a stop to them if they wish.The Office for Civil Society and Innovation is further working with charities to explore the challenges facing the leadership of the voluntary and community sector. One of the four themes that has been identified as part of this work is 'responding to decline in trust and confidence'. A dedicated working group has been convened to explore this issue and identify potential solutions.

Gyms

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with representatives of gyms on ensuring that the fitness levels of new members is assessed before they use such gyms.

Tracey Crouch: I meet regularly with ukactive, an organisation with members and partners across the UK active lifestyle sector, and others in the gym and physical activity sector. Whilst arrangements made for new members are for leisure providers to determine, our Sport Strategy, Sporting Future, published last December, highlighted the importance of giving those getting involved in sport, particularly for the first time, the best possible experience. In addition, ukactive’s Code of Practice - which is designed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of health and fitness operators and customers - also stipulates that providers must offer all facility users an exercise induction, and many physical activity, fitness and leisure operators require all new members to sign a ‘Health Commitment Statement’.

Charities

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has (a) made to and (b) received from charities since the outcome of the EU referendum.

Mr Rob Wilson: Since the outcome of the EU referendum, I have received representations from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the network of charity chief executives Acevo and the Charity Finance Group.We will continue to work closely with charities to understand the potential impact of the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

Charities

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to provide assurances to the charity sector on the future (a) funding and (b) operations of charities following the decision of the UK to leave the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Rob Wilson: Supporting a modern and resilient charity sector has been a priority for the Government. Over this and the last parliament we have worked together with charities to create greater financial sustainability, grow the social economy and support robust governance. This places charities in a strong position to respond to any changes resulting from the decision of the UK to leave the EU. We will continue to work closely with charities to understand the potential impact on their funding and operations which will depend on the specific arrangements agreed for exiting the EU.

Digital Technology: Data Protection

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of tracking of digital devices through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on consumer rights and privacy.

Matt Hancock: The Government takes both the protection of personal data and the right to privacy extremely seriously. Under the Data Protection Act owners should be informed how their data will be handled. The independent regulator for information rights, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), has produced guidance on privacy on mobile apps, which is available at; https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1596/privacy-in-mobile-apps-dp-guidance.pdf

Voluntary Work: Bury St Edmunds

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many young people in Bury St Edmunds constituency participated in the National Citizen Service in each of the last two years.

Mr Rob Wilson: I am pleased to report that over 1,000 young people in Suffolk have participated in NCS in the past two years. The NCS Trust does not collect data at a constituency level. Therefore, the figures below are for the local authority area of Suffolk. 2014 – 328 participants2015 – 710 participants

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Alternative Fuels: Excise Duties

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of the Alternative Fuels Framework on implementation of the Government's Clean Air Zone initiative.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Clean Air Zones are part of a range of measures to improve air quality as set out in the revised national air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide, published in December 2015. The national air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide sets out a comprehensive approach to improving air quality and reducing impacts on health. It recognises the use of alternative fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and liquefied and compressed natural gas and where appropriate it presents opportunities to improve emissions from vehicles. The plan sets out some of the measures we are taking to support innovation in this area. The Government continues to review evidence concerning the environmental impact of alternative fuels, with any changes to the tax treatment of alternative fuels announced at fiscal events.

Ash Dieback Disease

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding her Department is making available to replace trees that die of ash dieback disease.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Forestry Commission provides advice to woodland managers about how best to manage and adapt to ash dieback, for example by planting a variety of tree species as diversity brings resilience to pests and diseases. Support is available for some landowners for the replacement of infected ash trees with alternative species in woodland situations under the Countryside Stewardship scheme, subject to grant conditions being met. The Government is not encouraging felling of large infected ash trees as they can survive dieback for many years. They continue to provide recreational and biodiversity benefits as well as a vital role in protecting our environment through use in flood control measures.

Pets: Sales

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the breeding and selling of pet animals.

George Eustice: Defra is currently reviewing the laws on the breeding and selling of pet animals. Earlier this year we held a consultation on a number of proposals for improving the legislation in this area. Later this year we will be publishing a summary of the responses and will then work towards drafting regulations to replace the existing laws.

Food Standards Agency

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many food inspectors the Food Standards Agency (a) employed in each of the last five years and (b) plans to employ in (i) 2016-17, (ii) 2017-18, (iii) 2018-19 and (iv) 2019-20.

George Eustice: The Food Standards Agency is a non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom and does not employ food inspectors. Trading Standards and Environmental Health Officers are employed by local authorities. The Food Standards Agency is responsible for meat inspection duties in approved meat premises in England, Scotland and Wales and currently employs 439 Meat Hygiene Inspectors for the purposes of official control inspection activities. Further detail regarding the number of inspectors employed is a matter for the FSA.

Bakery Products: Prices

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of price trends in the baked goods market on (a) the pay and conditions of employees in that sector, (b) public health and (c) the commercial viability of producers.

George Eustice: The Government monitors overall food prices using the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). In the year to June 2016 food prices had reduced year-on-year by 2.9% and are over 7% lower than the peak in 2014. The Government’s new National Living Wage became law on 1st April 2016. Workers aged 25 and over, and not in the first year of an apprenticeship are legally entitled to at least £7.20 per hour, an increase of fifty pence per hour. The Eatwell Guide sets out Government’s recommendations on eating healthily and achieving a balanced diet. Two new Apprenticeship Trailblazer Standards, "Baker" and "Advanced Bakery", have been created by industry. The Secretary of State is attending the launch of these new Industry Approved Apprenticeship Standards at a reception at the Houses of Parliament this week.

Environment Protection: EU Law

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to ensure that environmental standards currently enforced by the EU are written into UK law.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given on 21 July 2016 to PQ UIN 43235.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the culling of chicks in the poultry industry.

George Eustice: The alternatives to culling chicks at one-day old are currently being explored. Research is well underway at the University of Leipzig in Germany, who are developing a new method for in-ovo gender identification, so that eggs identified as male can be sorted and used for purposes other than hatching. I also raised this issue at the G7 in Japan in April, and gave my support to the development of this new technology. We will look carefully at the results of this work and how it can be applied. In the UK, all four of the laying hen hatcheries use argon and CO2 gas techniques as a method of euthanising chicks and not maceration.

Environment Protection: Plastics

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals on banning microbeads and microplastics in all personal care products, washing powders, household cleaners and industrial blast media.

George Eustice: The UK and all other EU Member States have called for the European Commission to come up with proposals to ban microbeads in cosmetics at EU level, as part of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. These proposals, which we expect to be developed as part of the 2017 Plastics Strategy, will inform the UK's approach to introducing a ban on microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products. However, we are also open to the possibility of the UK acting unilaterally if necessary. In addition, the UK, in association with neighbouring countries in the Oslo and Paris Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR), has developed a Regional Action Plan (RAP) on marine litter. This RAP includes an action to evaluate all products and processes that include primary microplasti­cs (including microbeads) and act, if appropriate, to reduce their impact on the marine environment. This programme of work will help to inform the UK’s approach to other sources of microplastics, such as washing powders, household cleaners and industrial blast media.

Dangerous Dogs: Lancashire

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many attacks on humans by dangerous dogs have been reported in Lancashire in the last five years.

George Eustice: We do not hold such information. Reports of dog attacks on people will be held by the Lancashire police force. However, the table below provides information on numbers of prosecutions and convictions for each of the last five years where figures are available, which provides some indication of the number of such incidents.  Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of all offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, Lancashire, 2010 to 2014 (1)(2)Outcome20102011201220132014Proceeded against4538502142Found guilty3228371831 (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. NB: This table reflects cases where the initial proceeding took place in a magistrates court in Lancashire, irrespective of where the offence or arrest occurred, or where any subsequent Crown Court hearing took place. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Environment Protection

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take during the negotiations to leave the EU to ensure that UK environmental policies continue to match EU standards.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In the EU, the UK has worked tirelessly to seek to agree the right environmental policies. Until we leave the EU, EU law continues to apply so current arrangements for farming, food and drink and our environment remain in place. Defra will continue to ensure the right policies are in place for a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone. It is also vital that British farming is profitable and remains competitive – it is the bedrock of the food and drink industry, Britain’s largest manufacturing sector. We are now preparing to negotiate our exit. Defra will be working with the Department for Exiting the EU on the UK’s withdrawal and future relationship, liaising closely with other key departments on future support for farmers, the food and drink industry and the environment. The Government will work with industry and the public to develop these new arrangements.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Public Expenditure

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made of the total budget for his Department in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Davis: The new Department for Exiting the European Union is taking the necessary steps to equip itself to oversee negotiations to leave the EU and establish the future relationship between the UK and EU. The overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and budget, are now being considered.

Office of UK Permanent Representative to EU: Staff

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many additional members of staff will be posted at UKRep during the period of negotiations for UK withdrawal from the EU.

Mr David Davis: The UK's Permanent Representation to the EU will play an important part in negotiating the UK's withdrawal from the EU, as part of the Department for Exiting the European Union. The overall size and scope of the department, including staffing and budget, are being considered.

Attorney General

Rape: Convictions

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the reasons for variations across police force areas in conviction rates for rape offences.

Robert Buckland: There are a number of factors at various stages that are likely to have an impact on conviction rates for rape, but the Crown Prosecution Service is committed to improving the conviction rate for rape by working closely with partners in all police force areas. In order to provide consistency of approach, the CPS has also established networks of Violence against Women and Girls co-ordinators.

Prosecutions

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the rate of criminal prosecutions.

Jeremy Wright: It is not possible to make any such assessment, as the answer will depend on the terms of the agreement reached on the UK’s future relationship with the EU. We will now need to negotiate the best deal we can with Europe, and part of that process will focus on tools and mechanisms for cooperation that can help keep Britain’s citizens secure.

Wales Office

UK Withdrawal from EU: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what role the Welsh Government will have in negotiating the terms of the UK's exit from the EU.

Alun Cairns: As My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister made clear during her meeting with the First Minister on Monday, the Welsh Government and other devolved administrations will be fully involved in preparations for a negotiation to leave the EU to ensure that the interests of all parts of the United Kingdom are protected and advanced.

Ministry of Justice

Internet: Bullying

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will bring forward plans to consolidate existing legislation on online abuse and malicious communication.

Sir Oliver Heald: Legislation that can be used to prosecute online abuse and related offences includes the Protection from Harassment Act 1997; the Malicious Communications Act 1988; and the Communications Act 2003. The Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 made changes to the relevant offences in these last two Acts which aim to ensure that people who commit them are prosecuted and properly punished. The Government believes that current legislation is sufficient and does not intend to consolidate existing legislation relating to online abuse and malicious communication.

Bill of Rights

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she expects to bring forward proposals for a British Bill of Rights.

Sir Oliver Heald: We will set out our proposals for a Bill of Rights in due course. We will consult fully on our proposals.

Euthanasia

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policy of the Belgian court ruling that a nursing home did not have the right to refuse euthanasia on the grounds of conscientious objection.

Sir Oliver Heald: In England and Wales, euthanasia constitutes murder at common law (unless a partial defence applies to reduce the offence to manslaughter); and under section 2(1) of the Suicide Act 1961 it is an offence to do an act capable of encouraging or assisting the suicide or attempted suicide of another person, with the intention so to encourage or assist. Because euthanasia is illegal, the issue of a right to refuse euthanasia does not arise.

Cabinet Office

Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat: Freedom of Information

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Economic and Domestic Affairs secretariat spent on legal advice relating to Freedom of Information cases in the last 12 months.

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Propriety and Ethics Unit spent on legal advice relating to Freedom of Information cases in the last 12 months.

Ben Gummer: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Cabinet Office: Pay

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2016 to Question 42517, how many members of staff who are in receipt of a private secretary allowance are Senior Civil Servants.

Ben Gummer: There are currently 11 members of the Senior Civil Service who are in receipt of a private secretary allowance. Staff at Band B2 or above who currently work in the Private Office of a Director General, Permanent Secretary or Minister are entitled to receive the Private Office allowance. The authorisation process is robustly enforced within the department, with accountability resting with the Head of Private Office Group.

Civil Servants: EU Nationals

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to introduce further restrictions on the posts that EU nationals are able to (a) work in and (b) apply for within the Civil Service; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Davis: As yet, no consideration has been given, or decisions taken, about the laws or policies relevant to EU nationals applying for, or being employed in civil service posts.

Extended Ministerial Offices

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many extended Ministerial offices have been shut down since 13 July 2016.

Ben Gummer: There have been a number of Ministerial and government appointments announced recently. Administrative support for those appointments has yet to be concluded.

Cabinet Office: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any pay rises were awarded to special advisers in the Cabinet Office since 17 December 2015.

Ben Gummer: No pay rises have been awarded to Special Advisers in the Cabinet Office since 17 December 2015.